An excrement treating apparatus which can automatically treat excrement generally for patients who cannot independently treat excrement due to having a surgical operation, and the like, in a hospital or the aged who cannot move freely has been developed.
The excrement treating apparatus includes a mounting unit having a shape of a diaper to surround hips of a patient so as to receive excrement of a patient, and a control device unit for making a control so as to vacuum suck and then store the excrement of the mounting unit or supply washing water or washing air for washing the excrement and a bidet to the mounting unit.
The control device unit includes a washing water storage tank in which the washing water is stored, a pump which pressurizes the washing water of the washing water storage tank and supplies the pressurized washing water to the mounting unit, and an instantaneous water heater which heats the washing water supplied to the mounting unit to a warm state.
Further, a path connection member for detachably connecting connection tubes, such as an excrement suction line, a supply line of the washing water and the washing air, and a bidet nozzle line, to the mounting unit is mounted on the control device unit.
However, in the excrement treating apparatus in the related art, in an initial washing operation stage in the bidet, the residual washing water in a washing water supply path between the bidet nozzle and the instantaneous water heater is sprayed through the bidet nozzle in a cold state without passing through the instantaneous water heater, so that there is a problem of giving an unpleasant feeling to a user.
Further, when a connector of connection tubes between the mounting unit and the path connection member is separated to replace the mounting unit in a case where the excrement treating apparatus is moved or stored or a patient is changed, there is a problem in that the residual washing water in the connection tubes is poured into a floor, so that a neighboring environment becomes dirty.
In the meantime, when the excrement treating apparatus is not used and is stored, it is necessary to withdraw a water tank which is inserted in the washing water storage tank to the outside, and drain and dry the stagnant washing water at the bottom of an inside of the washing water storage tank in order to prevent the propagation of bacteria and generation of decomposition in the washing water storage tank.
However, the excrement treating apparatus in the related art has a structure in which the stagnant washing water in the washing water storage tank is not easily drained, so that there is a problem in that a lot of time and effort is needed for a drying operation of the washing water storage tank.
Further, in the related art, one commercially available pump is used in order to supply the washing water of the washing water storage tank to the mounting unit, but there is a problem in that a gushing pressure of the washing water is at a lower level than an appropriate level, so that washing efficiency is deteriorated, and a lot of expense is consumed to develop a separate dedicated pump appropriate to be applied to the excrement treating apparatus in order to increase a gushing pressure of the washing water.
In the meantime, the control device unit includes an excrement storage unit which sucks the excrement through the excrement suction line and then stores the excrement, a filter unit connected to the excrement storage unit to purify the sucked air, and an excrement suction unit connected to the filter unit to provide suction force for vacuum suction of the excrement.
Filtering performance of the filter unit is determined according to a contact area and a time in and at which foreign substances are collected in a filter. In the related art, the filter unit having a structure in which a filter is elongated in a flow direction of air passing the filter in order to obtain the purified air in which the foreign substances and smell are removed by maximally filtering the foreign substances included in the sucked air is used.
However, when the filter is elongated as described, the pressure loss of the air is increased, so that there is a problem in that a load of a motor for operating a pump of the excrement suction unit is increased in order to obtain a desired degree of vacuum.
Further, although the filter unit of the excrement treating apparatus includes consumable components which need to be replaced after the use for a predetermined time, a coupling structure of the components included in the filter unit is complex in the related art, so that there is a problem in that it is difficult and it takes much time to replace the components.